


A Lukewarm Welcome

by mantisbelle



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Background/Implied Grimmons, Chores, Gen, Getting to Know Each Other, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-01
Packaged: 2019-04-16 20:42:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14172990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mantisbelle/pseuds/mantisbelle
Summary: Simmons stands up tall. "I know that you aren't used to things here, but usually if someone's name is on a day for a chore, nobody else picks it up. That's my job!""Your job is doing the things that your teammates don't do?" Locus asks.





	A Lukewarm Welcome

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the amazing redwryvernart on tumblr. Thank you so much for your prompt, it was a lot of fun and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this fic.
> 
> Written for RVB Fluff Week.

Simmons has been trying his absolute hardest to get used to how things are with Locus around, since he’s apparently staying with the Reds now. 

He might spend a lot of his time trying to avoid the massive ex-mercenary slash mass murderer gone almost pacifist. He might duck out of the room most of the time if Locus is around because he’s  _ scary _ , but Simmons is  _ trying. _   
  
Really, he is. But it isn't as though there isn't anything for him to get used to. It  _ definitely  _ isn't like Locus is constantly brooding, or like Locus seems to do everything like he wishes that he could disappear at will and the only thing stopping him from doing just that was a verbal agreement that said he wouldn’t. Or like Locus isn't completely fucking terrifying and nobody will say anything about it.    
  
Nope. There is  _ definitely  _ absolutely nothing about Red Team’s new addition that has Simmons a little on edge.   
  
Simmons walks into the kitchen on a perfectly normal Tuesday evening, the same way that he would any other Tuesday because that's the day that Grif has dishwashing duty on the chore wheel and Simmons  _ knows _ that Grif won't do it. He's expecting to find the kitchen empty, save for a too-tall stack of dirty dishes that someone will need to deal with.    
  
Instead, when he walks in he finds the kitchen occupied and with Locus' hands deep in the sink as he washes something. The former mercenary looks tense and frustrated, but doesn’t seem to notice him.   
  
Simmons freezes at the door. His cardboard and colored construction paper chore wheel is taped to the door beside him, dish duty clearly under Grif’s name. Locus hasn't noticed him yet but Simmons also  _ really _ doesn't want to try and push his luck. Not when he'd be pushing his luck with a mass murderer that could  _ definitely _ snap his spine in half with one hand. He gets the feeling that surprising Locus would be a fast way to end up stabbed, at the very least.   
  
Locus sets the plate he was cleaning in the rack idly. He lets himself stretch and roll his neck, and when Simmons sees the slight bit of grey eye, he knows that he's been seen.    
  
When it comes to Locus, he also knows that the guy's vision isn't entirely based on movement.    
  
Locus lets out a sigh though, turning back to his work and grabbing a washcloth from next to the sink and drying his hands for a second before glancing back towards Simmons. "Is there something that you need?" He asks, not seeming quite annoyed but also not coming off as too happy either.    
  
The washcloth gets dropped next to the sink again before Locus reaches over for a knife that is in the pile of dirty dishes, and just like that Simmons freezes entirely.    
  
"I uh-" Simmons starts, somehow managing to feel like he'd just been put into an interrogation. No matter what, one of the things that he was pretty sure he was always going to be confident in was that Locus with a knife was probably just as scary as Felix as a knife. Probably scarier, since Locus tended to be methodical in ways that Felix just wasn't. It didn’t help that Simmons didn’t usually carry a knife of his own around base. "I was going to do the dishes!"    
  
Locus raises an eyebrow. "Your chart said that you do the dishes on Wednesdays."    
  
"I do!" Simmons answered. "But I also usually do Tuesdays because Grif doesn't do the dishes when everyone else is here."    
  
"I see." Locus turns back to his work, reaching for the sponge that he'd been using to clean. "You can leave if that's all you're here for. I believe that I have the situation handled."    
  
Simmons looks at Locus's hands as he cleans the knife in a far too practiced way. "I would but-" He takes a breath. He's got to get used to this. Locus is part of Red Team now, that means that he's got to get used to the prospect of Locus being there and living life. Or at least doing chores like the rest of them. "Why are you doing the dishes for Grif?"    
  
Locus shrugs, disinterested. "He asked me if I would." He lifts the knife up, holding it up in front of his face and turning it in the light, expression thoroughly bored. What he’s looking for, Simmons doesn’t know. "And since I owe you all for allowing me to be here, it was the least I could do."    
  
"Oh." Simmons hadn't been expecting something so normal. He'd been expecting some sort of weird answer from Locus. Like something sinister. Probably involving that knife. "I guess that I should add you to the chore wheel, shouldn't I?"    
  
Locus shrugs, and Simmons is pretty sure that's as good as the answer he got out of Locus was going to get. He gives Locus yet another suspicious look, walking over to the door and pulling down the chore wheel.    
  
It only takes a cursory glance for Simmons to realize that he's going to have to remake it from scratch. There are six of them to account for now instead of only five. Maybe life would be a little bit easier because of it. Either way, he was going to have to ask Donut for any crafting supplies and hope that there was some green construction paper among it. They’d never used green before, since it wasn’t a shade of red. They’d never needed it.   
  
Simmons looks back up at Locus' back once he's sure that Locus isn't paying him any sort of attention. The dishes by him  _ do  _ look like they’ve been cleaned until they were nearly immaculate, and all of the knives used for cooking had been set aside. Probably for the sake of sharpening them, Simmons realizes belatedly.    
  
He swallows. "You know-" He speaks up, and sees Locus' shoulders stiffen significantly. Obviously nervous. "It was nice of you to do the dishes. Because you really didn't have to."    
  
Locus rolls his eyes. "I had to."    
  
"No, you really didn't." Simmons stands up tall. "I know that you aren't used to things here, but usually if someone's name is on a day for a chore, nobody else picks it up. That's my job!"    
  
"Your job is doing the things that your teammates don't do?" Locus asks, but there is something about it that seems... off. In ways that Simmons has never considered and definitely isn't used to. "Or-"    
  
"I mean-" Simmons feels like he'd just been shocked. "That's not it entirely! I just want to make sure that you and I have clear ground rules!" He takes a breath when he realizes that Locus has turned to face him partially. "You're a new Red so you don't really know how things work here!"   
  
Locus raises an eyebrow expectantly.    
  
Simmons takes another breath. "It's just that you don't even know our operations yet! Or Sarge’s protocols! As second in command-"    
  
"I was under the impression that you were third in command." Locus deadpans.   
  
"It's my duty to do everything that Sarge doesn't." Simmons keeps on going. This is a conversation that they need to have. "And to make sure that everyone else has their stuff together. I take the notes at our staff meetings and maintain the chore lists. I help make sure that things are clean, and-"    
  
He looks at Locus, and Simmons only gets what he could describe as a pitying look in response. He should have been ready for it and he knows it.    
  
But what right did Locus have to judge? He was  _ new. _ Surely he’d never been in the same place!   
  
"Simmons," Locus sighs, reaching for the towel by the sink so that he could dry his hands off. "I'm not trying to intrude on your place here. I can see that you value your position."    
  
"I do!" Simmons exclaims, but when he looks at Locus' face he can't help but feel almost guilty. Like maybe he had misunderstood something. "I just want to be sure that everyone here will be able to co-exist."

Locus takes a breath, almost wincing and seeming very unsure of himself. “I simply intend to try and stay out of the way.” Locus admits, making a point not to make too much eye contact. “I’m sorry.”    
  
Simmons can’t help the surprise that goes through him. He looks down at the chore wheel, and frowns. This is something that he should talk to Sarge about anyways, and Locus-    
  
He’s really just trying to exist. Doing chores that wouldn’t have been done otherwise. Contributing in a way that isn’t just carrying the team during Capture the Flag.   
  
“It’s okay.” Simmons says, but he isn’t quite exactly sure as to why he says it. The idea that he would ever have to reassure Locus about something would have been laughable, so long ago. Now it just feels… strange. And almost wrong. “I believe you about just meaning to do the dishes.”    
  
“That’s all I’m doing.” Locus replies, looking back at the dishes. He frowns, like there is something he’s unhappy about. Maybe something hadn’t come out as cleanly as he would have liked. Simmons doesn’t know. "I understand that you aren't sure about me being here." Locus says quietly. "I don't blame you."    
  
Simmons looks up at Locus and shrugs. "I mean, I think it's nice having someone else that does chores. And Grif likes you." That alone counts for a lot in Simmons' mind. He got a taste of what life without Grif was like, and Simmons hadn't liked it at all. Grif had said that he didn't like most of them.    
  
He'd been excluded from that, which was a relief.    
  
But Grif having someone else that he likes is good. Grif seems happier. That matters a lot more to Simmons than anyone probably realizes.    
  
"Grif is..." Locus' voice trails off. "He's surprisingly... kind. I suppose. I don't exactly understand his attachment myself, but... it's nice."    
  
"And Sarge likes you." Simmons adds. "And Lopez too."    
  
Locus shrugs, not exactly smiling. He's far from confident and they both know it. Simmons frowns. He knows that Locus probably just isn't used to people wanting him around in general. Even on Chorus it had seemed like Locus' partner hadn't even wanted him.    
  
It at least explains why Locus likes to keep his distance from the others. Maybe distance keeps it from hurting less in the long run.   
  
"I try to do what I can." Locus says, shaking his head and going back to the work he was doing in the sink. Simmons watches him reach for a glass and a sponge, beginning to clean again. "You don't have to like me."    
  
"I know." Simmons stands up and pins the chore wheel back up. He wants to say more to Locus, but can't think of anything. Locus is different from the rest of them and they all know it. Simmons just wishes that he actually knew how to make himself fit with Locus around. "I just... I guess that it's nice having you. We can win capture the flag now."    
  
Locus raises an eyebrow.    
  
"I mean, you've evened the teams. Skill-wise, not people wise. Kind of." Simmons barrels on. "And that's pretty nice."    
  
Locus shrugs. "You and your teammates deserve more credit than you’re giving them. But thank you."    
  
Simmons swallows, feeling nervous still. "I should probably leave you alone, shouldn't I?"    
  
"I would appreciate the space." Locus replies, his shoulders stiff. "But the company hasn't been terrible."    
  
Simmons feels his cheeks get red mostly out of surprise, because he's pretty sure that's as close to a real compliment as Locus was even capable of giving. It's a surprise, and not at all an unpleasant one. "I'm going to think about the chore wheel. I mean-" He looks back at Locus. "You're a part of the team now. I guess that you should be included on that. And I guess that I should let you know that Donut's Wine and Cheese hour is open invitation."    
  
Locus freezes and looks back at Simmons with a very confused look on his face. "What?"    
  
"Wine and cheese hour." Simmons clarifies. "It's how we unwind as a team. You should join us sometime. Donut knows how to treat guests."    
  
Locus is silent for far, far too long, and then he sighs. "I'll consider it."    
  
"Cool." Simmons blinks. "Welcome to the team, I guess. And... I think that next time it's Grif's day to do dishes, I'll do it. You can take out the trash that day instead."    
  
Locus blinks, and nods.    
  
It's not much, but it's definitely an olive branche. One that Simmons hopes that Locus decides to pick up, because it's something that can make Locus being there feel quite a bit less scary.    
  
"I think that would be good." Locus says. "Thank you."    
  
"Thank you." Simmons answers. "I think I'll leave you to it." He looks back at the sink one last time, and Locus' frame.    
  
He's doing his best to fit in, Simmons understands. He's familiar with it himself, and the least that he can do is try not to be the odd one out with regards to Locus being there.    
  
Figuring out a chore schedule is a good place to start. Simmons is sure of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Any and all comments and criticism are greatly appreciated.
> 
> [I'm on tumblr. Sometimes stuff happens. I'm always willing to take new prompts and questions there!](http://tyrian-callows.tumblr.com/)


End file.
